Mural Arts came to life for English as a Second Language (ESL) students in North and South Brandywine Middle Schools in the Coatesville Area School District in 2009-2010 when Library Media Specialist, Pat Kuhn, coordinated a project as part of her work in the MAGPI Fellows program. The Mural Arts project coordinated by Ms. Kuhn included that the development of an educational language unit which included various aspects of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The concept of “Fitting in and Standing Out” was chosen by Pat Kuhn as a theme for the Mural Arts project to focus on the students’ ideas of portraying themselves as part of both cultures. During the Mural Arts project ESL students at the two middle schools were presented with information on the various aspects of immigration into the US (via the Library of Congress’s lesson plans for teachers) and how the diverse populations merged into the population of the United States along with their contributions and their cultural integration into the American way of life. Students from the two middle schools also met in person to discuss the project in more detail and to learn from each other’s personal stories.
During the face-to-face meeting, students shared their immigration experiences, which were not always an easy journey. They shared recipes from their ‘home countries’ and shared their thoughts as to how they view themselves as immigrants, yet still Mexican, Puerto Rican, or /and African as well as American. The ESL students worked hard to envision and create their experiences as immigrants and as Americans and also portray those ideas in a visual representation not unlike the murals presented to them through the Mural Arts part of the project. Their representations of dual belonging were amazing and profound, “through the heart and eyes of a child” said Ms. Pat Miller, ESL teacher for the students.
A highlight of the project took students on a tour of Philadelphia's world-renown murals throughout the city through the MAGPI Fellows program, made possible by MAGPI and The University of Pennsylvania. Students were awed by the city's murals, many of which represented similar themes to their own. Students were able to hear the stories of how the murals’ themes are chosen, how they are painted and how the murals are transforming for the participants and the communities where they are painted. Students heard first-hand how the process to make the mural happen brings the community together and solidifies the area where the mural is placed.
As a result of this Mural Arts project, there is now momentum to create a mural in the Coatesville area that reflects the students' interests and personal themes of “Fitting In and Standing Out”. Serendipitously, Lindsay Briton, Executive Director of Art Partners Studio, Coatesville, PA saw an article about the Mural Arts project on the Coatesville Area School District’s web page and contacted Pat Kuhn about the possibility of having a mural created in Coatesville. Funding and support for creation of a mural, or several smaller murals, are currently being pursued by Ms. Pat Kuhn and Ms. Pat Miller in conjunction with the Art Partners Studio and other local organizations. Both educators believe strongly that the mural will bring the ESL students and other interested participants together in unique and meaningful ways and are hopeful that the students’ dream of a mural will become a reality. To learn more about this project, including how you can volunteer or support the proposed mural, please visit the project website at http://muralartsproject.pbworks.com/
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